Urine analysis is performed by utilizing an optical method, for example, whereby the reagent pad of a test piece is impregnated with urine, and then the color change of the pad is observed. Specifically, to check the coloring at the reagent pad, the test piece is first transferred to a portion where urine is dropped onto the reagent pad, and then transferred to an optical checking position. The test piece can be transferred to the urine application portion by utilizing a test piece supplying device (refer to Patent documents 1 and 2 listed below).
An example of such test piece supplying device is illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22A. The illustrated test piece supplying device 9 includes a container 91 containing a plurality of test pieces 90A, 90B, and also includes a movable body 92 for taking one test piece 90A at a time out of the container. The container 91 is provided with a blade 93 for preventing more than one test piece 90A, 90B from being simultaneously taken out of the container 91. The movable body 92 is formed with a groove 92a for accommodating one test piece 90A.
As shown in FIG. 22A, in the test piece supplying device 9, the movable body 92 is moved to position the groove 92a at a site corresponding to the container 91, so that the test piece 90A is accommodated in the groove 92a. Then, as shown in FIGS. 22B and 22C, the movable body 92 is moved in the direction A, and the test piece 90A is taken out of the container 91. Here, in the container 91, the blade 93 sweeps away the test pieces 90B above the test piece 90A accommodated in the groove 92a, so that only the test piece 90A in the groove 92a is taken out of the container 91. In this way, the test piece 90A is taken out of the container and then is moved by the movable body 92 further in the direction A, to be supplied to a destination such as an optical checking position.
Generally, the test pieces 90A, 90B are stored together in a bottle. If the storing condition is not good, some of the test pieces 90A, 90B may undergo plastic deformation and may be warped (see 90A′ in FIG. 23). As shown in FIG. 23, when placing such warped test piece 90A′ into the groove 92a of the movable body 92, the test piece 90A′ is not fully accommodated within the groove 92a, and a part of the test piece 90A′ may protrude from the groove 92a. In this state, when the movable body 92 moves in the direction A, the blade 93 interferes with the portion of the test piece 90A′ protruding out of the groove 92a, and scrapes the test piece 90A′ off the groove 92a. In other words, the warped test piece 90A′ cannot be taken out of the container 9 of the test piece supplying device 9. As seen from this, in the test piece supplying device 9, when a warped test piece 90A′ is contained in the container 9, the probability of taking out the test pieces 90A, 90A′, 90B (the rate of the number of success to the total number of the taking-out trials) is reduced, and thus the number of the test pieces 90A, 90A′, 90B to be taken out per unit time is reduced.
Patent Document: JP-A-11-118808
Patent Document: JP-A-2000-35433